Awakenings (Elemental Series - Book 1) by Hally Willmott Page B

else was aware of what had just taken place. It seemed no real time had passed. For lack of a better description and fear of sounding like Star Trek it was as though I’d been in some kind of… time warp.
    “Right behind you, Aunt Grace,” I replied.
    My breath caught yet again once I was inside the house. It smelled like home. It was full of musky pine aromas and had a welcoming feel. The entrance was a large open space with a whole array of different colored large flat rocks for flooring. There was a large walnut-colored bench positioned to the right of the entrance to sit on to take off or put on shoes. Behind the seat was a huge mirror framed in the same wood which made up the bench.
    Directly across from the bench was a double door closet made of the same dark wood. The entire main floor of the house was visible from the main entrance.
    “Jacey, put the bags down here. We’ll go out and help Jen and Hudson with the rest—” Mid-sentence, Aunt Grace stopped. She placed the bags and suitcase she’d carried in on the floor to the left of the entry and came to me. She placed her hands out in a gesture to take my parents’ urn from me.
    “Is it all right if I take this and put it over there?” She pointed towards the living room-dining room area. I nodded and looked over to where Aunt Grace was headed. Separating the rooms was a huge double-sided stone-faced fireplace with a beautifully carved wooden mantel.
    “I think it’s the perfect place to put them,” I said.
    Aunt Grace took the urn and walked over to the mantel. She placed it in the center.
    There was a huge bay window in the living room which overlooked the side yard of the house. It reminded me of Mr. Silverman’s office. The light coming in flowed through, glistening off the symbols of the urn. The light hit it in just the right way to make the engravings flash like diamonds in the sun.
    “After we get everything inside I’ll show you around the rest of your new home,” Aunt Grace said placing her arm around my shoulder.
    “I’d like that.”
    “Yes, Jacey, it does look a bit like Mr. Silverman’s office,” she agreed.
    I looked up at her, not missing the detail that yet again I hadn’t said anything out loud. We went outside to Hudson’s truck in time to help him and Jen move my trunk.
    “Hey, you guys need any help?” I asked, watching both of them. I still hadn’t forgotten that the two of them seemed to be quite comfortable with one another.
    “We could use a little help here. What in the world did you put in here, Jacey?” Hudson asked as he pulled my trunk to the tailgate. “It weighs a ton.” He grunted as he tried to lift the trunk on his own.
    “I knew we wouldn’t be going back, so I pretty much packed everything I could get into it,” I said as I grabbed an end to help.
    “Not to mention we both had to sit on it to close it,” Jen said with a laugh.
    “No kidding,” Hudson replied.
    He grabbed the other end of the trunk opposite to me, surprised at the weight as we took it into the house. We had both vehicles emptied within half an hour.
    “Who’s ready for a tour to see where your rooms are?” Aunt Grace asked.
    “I am,” I said.
    We all followed Aunt Grace through the house. From what I’d seen so far, you’d think I would have been prepared for the rest of the house, but I wasn’t.
    We went into the living room. The main focal point was the double-sided fireplace which Mom and Dad’s urn was situated upon. I sighed, knowing a home like this was something I’d always wanted our family to have. The dark wooden furniture was placed strategically throughout, allowing the fireplace and the bay window to be the focus of whoever sat in the room.
    The flooring was polished wood, a couple of shades lighter than the furniture. There was a huge, plush area rug in the center, its deep gold laced with hues of purple and red. It completed the room, pulling all the furniture and fixtures together into a place of